Induction heating applications

ABSTRACT

A system and method for inductive heating applications includes positioning one or more inductive heating elements in a location, delivering electromagnetic radiation, by a radiation source, to heat at least a portion of the one or more inductive heating elements, and detecting, by a detector, the heat generated by the one or more inductive heating elements. The system and method also include controlling, by a processing unit, a condition based on the detected heat.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application62/325,100, filed on Apr. 20, 2016, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Induction heating is a form of heating that utilizes an electromagnetic(EM) radiation source to heat a ferrous metal, as opposed to an openflame or heating element. Traditional induction heating is used for foodpreparation, and involves using a ferrous cooking vessel placed in closeproximity to an EM radiation source. Upon activation, the EM radiationsource emits EM waves that cause the ferrous cooking vessel to heat up,which in turn heats the contents of the ferrous cooking vessel.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatusis disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of inductive heatingelements, at least one insulating divider positioned between theplurality of inductive heating elements, and a radiation sourceconfigured to deliver electromagnetic radiation to heat at least aportion of the plurality of inductive heating elements to form a patternto be illuminated on the apparatus.

In accordance with some other aspects of the present disclosure, amethod is disclosed. The method includes positioning one or moreinductive heating elements in a location, delivering electromagneticradiation, by a radiation source, to heat at least a portion of the oneor more inductive heating elements, and detecting, by a detector, theheat generated by the one or more inductive heating elements. The methodalso includes controlling, by a processing unit, a condition based onthe detected heat.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the following drawings and thedetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a sign that is remotely controllable usingelectromagnetic radiation in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for remotely heatingobjects in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional induction cooking involves use of a vessel made of ferrousor similar material, where the vessel receives electromagnetic energyfrom an EM radiation source. Described herein are a variety of otherapplications that utilize induction technology to provide targeted heatto a given location. As discussed herein, the use of EM radiationenables the provision of heat at a distance.

Ferrofluid is a name sometimes used to refer to a colloidal liquid thatincludes ferrous particles which have a diameter of approximately 10nanometers (nm) or less. In alternative embodiments, the ferrousparticles may have a smaller or larger diameter, depending on theapplication. The ferrous particles can be magnetite, iron, cobalt,nickel, and/or oxides thereof. The ferrous particles may be treated witha surfactant that prevents the particles from bunching up due tomagnetic forces. The ferrous particles, when in the presence of anelectromagnetic field of the kind used for induction cooking, will heatup, thereby causing the ferrofluid to heat up. Since this and similarcolloidal liquids can flow to relatively inaccessible places, such aferrofluid can be used in a variety of fields where non-invasivetesting, monitoring, repair, and/or healing of tissue or other materialis called for. Such a ferrofluid can also be used to help destroyunwanted tissue or material.

As one example, for various medical procedures, individuals in the pasthave been injected with, or asked to swallow, a radioactive fluid suchthat radioactive emissions can be traced throughout the individual'sbody using radioactive detectors proximate to the individual. As aresult, the patient is subject to potentially harmful radiation.Ferrofluids can be used to replace the use of radioactive fluids forinternal tracing/tracking in medical testing and procedures.

In one implementation, a ferrofluid can be encased in a capsule that isswallowed by a patient. The capsule can be made from a plastic or otherbio-compatible material. The patient is placed near or into a bank ofelectromagnetic (EM) radiation sources that are configured to generateEM radiation that targets the swallowed capsule. The swallowed capsuleincreases in temperature as a result of the EM radiation, and the pathof the capsule (and ferrofluid therein) can therefore be traced by heatdetectors. The heat sensors can be mounted directly on a skin surface ofthe patient, or placed proximate to the patient, depending on theimplementation. In an illustrative embodiment, the temperature of thecapsule is controlled such that the capsule material does not melt andsuch that the patient is not burned or otherwise subject to discomfort.

The patient can be a human or a non-human animal. Ferrofluids can alsobe injected into a plant such that progress of the ferrofluid throughoutthe plant tissue can be monitored. Ferrofluids can further be used inindustrial processes to detect and/or track the path of a fluid in aclosed system. Such tracking will enable the ready detection ofobstructions or anomalies in tissue or other closed systems. Ferrofluidtracking will also enable determination of the rate of movement within aclosed system, and excessive heat at a given point in the system maysignal an obstruction or other problem needing attention. In analternative embodiment, a bio-compatible ferrofluid may be directlyswallowed by or injected into an individual without being encapsulated.In another alternative embodiment, a solid ferrous element may be coatedby plastic, etc. and swallowed by an individual for use intracking/monitoring of the individual. Coating the ferrous element canhelp to ensure that there is no chemical reaction with or corrosiveeffect on the body/system into which the ferrous element is introduced.

The use of ferrous material and induction heating allows heating,repair, control, etc. to take place without limitation as to the targetarea. Where the material to be heated is directly accessible, a ferrouselement can be placed directly on or near the material. Upon receipt ofEM radiation, the ferrous element will heat up, causing the material onwhich it is positioned to also heat up. The use of ferrofluids extendsthis feature by allowing the same technology to be used to provide heatin closed and otherwise inaccessible systems. As an example, a tumor maybe located in a living being. A ferrofluid can be injected into thetumor using a standard syringe. Upon application of EM radiation to theinjected ferrofluid, the ferrofluid can heat up thereby causing thetumor to heat up. The EM radiation can be controlled such that tissue ofthe tumor is heated to a point where the tissue dies, destroying thetumor in the process. Excess heat will pass through surrounding tissueand quickly dissipate without significant discomfort to theperson/animal whose tumor is being treated.

In another embodiment, an area to be subjected to heat may be entirelyinaccessible. In such instances, a ferrofluid moving through the body orother system can be used in conjunction with highly targeted EMradiation to monitor or treat the area. Specifically, the ferrofluid canbe inserted into a closed system that includes the inaccessible area,such a human body, an animal, a plant, a mechanical system, etc. Theinserted ferrofluid will traverse the closed system through the bloodstream, digestive system, or other passageways in the system. Thetargeted EM radiation can be directed to the inacessable area of theclosed system. As the ferrofluid passes through the inaccessible area,it receives the targeted EM radiation and heats up, causing theinaccessible area to receive heat. Such a procedure can be used to treatthe inaccessible area with heat, to determine how long it takes for theferrofluid to travel to the inaccessible area, enhance the effectivenessof medication, etc.

Induction heating can also be used in conjunction with functionalizedmagnetic nanoparticles which have been used for drug delivery, cellseparation, and/or cell stimulation. Having the ability to add heat at adistance significantly expands the efficacy and use of suchnanoparticles in medical and other applications. For example, certainchemical reactions take place only in the presence of heat, heat can beused to shed a protective covering of a reactant, and heat can modify amedium for cell growth.

The embodiments described herein can be used anywhere that there is aneed or benefit for heat to be present at a distance or through anon-ferrous barrier. As another example, such embodiments can be used inthe printing process, which traditionally requires the physicaldeposition of ink onto paper (or other substrate) or the fusion ofcarbon onto paper through a laser. In accordance with an illustrativeembodiment, a thermally sensitive paper (or thermal paper) can be usedin conjunction with a ferrous metal substrate. The thermal paper istreated with a chemical that changes color when exposed to heat. As anon-limiting example, the chemical used to treat the paper can be asolid-state mixture of a dye and a suitable matrix, such as acombination of a fluoran leuco dye. Upon heating of the matrix to atemperature above its melting point, the dye reacts with the acid,changes color, and then remains as the changed color upon cooling of thematrix back into a solid state.

Such a thermal paper can be used in conjunction with a ferrous substrateto print from a distance using induction heating technology.Specifically, the thermal paper can be placed in contact with or nearthe ferrous substrate. Targeted EM radiation can be applied from adistance to various portions of the ferrous substrate, which causes theferrous substrate and hence the thermal paper to heat up. The heatedportions of the thermal paper change color and this process can be usedto impose letters, numbers, images, etc. onto the thermal paper. In oneimplementation, the ferrous substrate can be divided into a plurality ofsmall, individually targetable areas (spatially similar to pixels in aliquid crystal display), and a computing device can be used to controltargeting of the EM radiation to form a pattern, image, text, etc. onthe substrate such that the pattern, image, text, etc. is imposed ontothe thermal paper. The computing device can include instructions storedon a memory and executable by a processor. Various areas of the thermalpaper can be heated simultaneously to form the image onto the paper.Alternatively, the targeted EM radiation can be used to iteratively formthe image one area at a time.

In another illustrative embodiment, the thermal paper can be configuredsuch that heating at different temperatures will result in thegeneration of different colors. In such an implementation, color images,patterns, text, etc. can be imposed on the thermal paper. Such amulticolor thermal paper can be generated using multi-layer coatings inwhich each coating layer results in a different color activated at adifferent temperature. The different temperatures can be achieved indifferent areas by selectively controlling the magnitude, duration, andlocation of the EM radiation onto the ferrous substrate proximate to themulticolor thermal paper. As a result of these embodiments, it will bepossible to print at a distance without the need for physical depositionof an ink or fusion of carbon.

In another embodiment, induction heating can be used to power a sign inan area where there is no source of electrical power. The sign can, forexample include a plurality of ferrous elements in a grid-like or otherpattern and the ferrous elements can be separated from one another bynon-ferrous insulating dividers. Targeted EM radiation can be used toheat up specific ferrous elements of the sign in the form of a pattern,image, text, etc. The heat generated by the ferrous elements can causethe ferrous elements to become visible in a dark environment such thatthe pattern, image, text, etc. on the sign appears to be lit up.Alternatively, the heated pattern may cause a visible reaction ofanother material incorporated into the sign, again causing the heatedareas to become visible in a dark environment.

FIG. 1 depicts such a sign 100 in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment. The sign 100 includes a plurality of squares of ferrouselements 105 which are separated from one another by insulating barriers110. The ferrous elements 105 of the sign 100 are arranged in agrid-like pattern and can be controlled by targeting desired portions ofthe grid. As depicted in FIG. 1, the ferrous element at location (3, 2)is being targeted with EM radiation and is therefore visible on thesign. A large sign can be composed of hundreds or thousands of suchtargetable ferrous elements in a grid-like or other pattern.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for remotely heatingobjects in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. In an operation200, one or more ferrous elements are positioned in a desired location.The one or more ferrous elements can refer to ferrous particles in aferrofluid that is to be swallowed by or injected into a patient,ferrous elements arranged in a sign, a ferrous plate used for remoteprinting, etc.

In an operation 205, EM radiation is applied to at least a portion ofthe one or more ferrous elements. The EM radiation can be applied by anytype of EM radiation source known to those of skill in the art. In anillustrative embodiment, the EM radiation is applied in a targetedmanner such that only a portion of the one or more ferrous elements areheated. In such an embodiment, the EM radiation can be applied in aparticular pattern such that a shape, image, text, etc. is formed as aresult of the heated pattern. A computing device can be used todetermine the pattern and to apply the EM radiation in the targetedpattern. In an alternative embodiment, the one or more ferrous elementsmay be completely bathed in EM radiation such that all of the ferrouselements are caused to heat up.

In an operation 210, heat that is generated by the one or more ferrouselements is detected. For example, in the context of tracing materialsin a closed system, detectors can be used to determine the amount oftime it takes for the ferrous elements to travel a certain distance,whether there are impassable blockages in certain areas, etc. Inalternative embodiments such as activation of thermal paper, theoperation 210 may not be performed as there is no need to detect theheat in such implementations.

In an illustrative embodiment, control of the heating elements describedherein can be implemented at least in part as computer-readableinstructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a computermemory or storage device. Upon execution of the computer-readableinstructions by a processor, the computer-readable instructions cancause the computing device to perform the operations to heat materialsin a desired fashion.

The foregoing description of illustrative embodiments has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and of description. It is not intended tobe exhaustive or limiting with respect to the precise form disclosed,and modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosed embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of inductiveheating elements; at least one insulating divider positioned between theplurality of inductive heating elements; and a radiation sourceconfigured to deliver electromagnetic radiation to heat at least aportion of the plurality of inductive heating elements to form a patternto be illuminated on the apparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of inductive heating elements are arranged in a grid. 3.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of theplurality of inductive heating elements is configured to be lit up fromthe heat to illuminate the pattern.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinat least a portion of the plurality of inductive heating elements isconfigured to heat another material positioned proximate to the at leasta portion of the plurality of inductive heating elements to illuminatethe pattern.
 5. A method comprising: positioning one or more inductiveheating elements in a location; delivering electromagnetic radiation, bya radiation source, to heat at least a portion of the one or moreinductive heating elements; detecting, by a detector, the heat generatedby the one or more inductive heating elements; and controlling, by aprocessing unit, a condition based on the detected heat.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the one or more inductive heating elements areferrofluid.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the ferrofluid is encasedin a capsule.
 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising: arrangingthe one or more inductive heating elements on a sign; separating the oneor more inductive heating elements by an insulating divider; andilluminating a pattern on the sign by targeting the heat to the one ormore inductive heating elements along the pattern.
 9. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising: positioning a thermal paper in contact witha ferrous substrate formed of the one or more inductive heatingelements; targeting the electromagnetic radiation to the ferroussubstrate in a pattern for heating portions of the ferrous substratealong the pattern; and transferring heat from the heated portions of theferrous substrate to the thermal paper for forming the pattern on thethermal paper.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising a computingdevice connected to the radiation source for controlling the delivery ofthe electromagnetic radiation to the ferrous substrate along thepattern.
 11. The method of claim 5, further comprising: injecting theone or more inductive heating elements into a bloodstream of a subject;and detecting heat emanated from the one or more inductive heatingelements for identifying a duration of travel of the one or moreinductive heating elements within the bloodstream of the subject. 12.The method of claim 5, further comprising: injecting the one or moreinductive heating elements into a tumor of a subject; and targeting theelectromagnetic radiation to the one or more inductive heating elementsfor destroying the tumor from the heat emanated by the one or moreinductive heating elements.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising adjusting an amount of the electromagnetic radiationdelivered to the one or more inductive heating elements for avoidingdestruction of body tissue surrounding the tumor.
 14. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising: directing the electromagnetic radiation toa capsule encasing the one or more inductive heating elements andswallowed by a subject; controlling a temperature of the capsule byadjusting an amount of the electromagnetic radiation delivered to thecapsule; and tracing a path followed by the capsule within the subject.15. The method of claim 5, further comprising: injecting the one or moreinductive heating elements in a plant; and monitoring a path followed bythe one or more inductive heating elements by detecting the heatemanated by the one or more inductive heating elements as the one ormore inductive heating elements travel within the plant.